Top Employer: Northwood

Recognized as one of Atlantic Canada's Top Employers (2023) and Nova Scotia's Top Employers (2024):

Here are some of the reasons why Northwood was selected as one of Atlantic Canada's Top Employers (2023) and Nova Scotia's Top Employers (2024):

Northwood encourages employees to put their health first with up to 18 paid sick days annually and coverage for mental health practitioners as part of its benefits plan (to $1,800 per year)
Northwood helps employees plan securely for life after work through a defined benefit pension plan and offers phased-in work options for those nearing retirement
Northwood supports employees who want to start a family with maternity leave top-up for new mothers (to 93 per cent of salary for up to 15 weeks) and parental top-up for fathers and adoptive parents (to 93 per cent of salary for up to 10 weeks)

A Northwood staff member spends time outdoors with a resident

Industry	Nursing care facilities
Established in Canada	1962
Major Canadian locations	Chester NS, West Hants NS, Halifax NS
Full-time employees in Canada	987
Part-time employees in Canada	503
Average age of employees in Canada	45.19 years
Longest serving employee	49 years
Benefits note	Northwood has multiple employee groups, the following programs and policies may vary by position
Hybrid work	formal hybrid work options available for some positions
Long-term savings	defined-benefit (DB) pension
Health plan premium	as part of the health plan, the employer pays up to 65% of the premiums
Mental health practitioner benefit	up to $1,800 each year
Maternity top-up (mothers)	up to 93% of salary for 5 weeks
Parental top-up (mothers)	up to 93% of salary for 10 weeks
Parental top-up (fathers)	up to 93% of salary for 10 weeks
Adoption top-up	up to 93% of salary for 10 weeks
Vacation allowance	new employees receive 3 weeks of paid vacation after their first year on the job
Outside survey period	outside consultant surveys are held every 36 months
Employee performance reviews	employees receive individual performance reviews every 12 months
In-house training initiatives	apprenticeship/skilled trades programs, in-house training, mentoring
Annual tuition maximum	employer pays up to $500 in tuition subsidies for job-related courses per year